Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Earning Some Dough

Employment rates are going up and things are looking better. But lay-offs are still happening, including several hundred who lost their jobs at AOL recently.

So what do you do if you lose a job and have to spend time looking for a new one? Here are some tips from consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch:

Sell Your Stuff A good alternative to the yard sale is to sell your stuff on Craigslist or eBay, depending on the quality and whether you want to deal with shipping. Both sites allow you to sell nearly everything, from furniture and bikes to artwork and crafts. CraigsList is free and organized by region. Consult the CraigsList FAQ before you begin. eBay will take a cut of your profits and requires more technical savvy, but it's a good outlet for collector's items, higher-end electronics, etc. Read the eBay Sellers Guide before you get started.

Rent Out a Room Sharing living expenses can put more cash in your pocket. Make sure you draw up a lease agreement specifying rent, security deposit terms, length of stay, etc. This becomes even more important if you're renting to someone you know.

Monetize Your Web Site or Blog You're already spending a ton of time on your blog or Web site. Why not earn some money from all your labor? Google AdSense and nine other sites listed on MoolaDays require little to no supervision: Once it's there, you don't need to do much more.

Sell Your Hair Sales for generous lengths of tresses reportedly can net you several hundred to over a thousand dollars. WiseBread explains how to sell your hair and includes sites where you can list and market hair.

Resell Your Unused Gift Cards The average American household is holding on to $300 in unused gift cards. In fact, an estimated $30 billion to $40 billion gift cards lie unspent in dresser drawers across the country. You can sell the gift cards you're no longer using to resale companies for a percentage of the face value and they will sell them at a discount price to others who will actually use those precious pieces of plastic. GiftCardGranny.com can link you up with the highest-paying gift card resellers in the industry.

Give Blood Some plasma banks pay up to $35 per pint. In the United States, federal regulations state that an individual may donate two times in a seven day period, with a minimum of two days in between donations. DonatingPlasma.org provides details and a searchable plasma-bank database to help you find a plasma bank in your area.

Become a Human Guinea Pig If you live near a university with a med school, you can earn anywhere from $15 to $2,000 for taking part in a clinical research study. The National Institutes of Health lists thousands of clinical studies that need volunteers.